It is universally accepted by dental professionals that regular flossing is an integral part of a successful oral hygiene regimen. Flossing in the inter-proximal spaces of the teeth removes plaque which is responsible for both tooth decay and gum disease. However, regular flossing remains often neglected due to the time and effort it requires. Many users find that winding the floss around the fingers can be painful.
The present invention aims to reduce the inconvenience and time required to floss by providing an appliance that can simultaneously floss all the teeth at once. Furthermore, new floss can be easily advanced through the appliance via a distribution system when the floss has outlived it's usefulness. An improved version of the invention provides a cross-flossing arrangement whereby the floss maintains better contact with the inter-proximal surfaces of adjacent teeth, providing an even more thorough cleaning.
Many different flossing appliances are known in the art. A popular flossing device is the flosser and dental pick. This device has a choice of two attachments (a power flosser, and a soft dental pick). This device is designed to reach between the teeth and below the gum line to remove plaque. However, this process is time consuming as each tooth must be cleaned separately.
Multi-tooth flossing devices are also known. Examples include U.S. Pat. No. 5,190,062 to Rafaeli and U.S. Patent Application No. 2006/0014121 A1 to DelGrosso. Both Rafaeli and DelGrosso disclose multi-tooth flossing devices which are custom fitted to the individual user's mouth. However, such devices have a number of drawbacks. For example, neither Rafaeli or DelGrosso provides a means for quickly advancing new floss through the appliance, forcing the user to undertake laborious re-threading of the appliance each time that new floss is required.
Furthermore, particularly effective cleaning is achieved when the floss maintains contact with as much of the inter-proximal surface of a tooth as possible. As can be appreciated, such surfaces are in fact curved, and therefore an arrangement whereby the floss can follow the contours of these surfaces will result in improved cleaning. Therefore, the present invention provides an embodiment whereby the two strands of floss pass through each inter-proximal area between adjacent teeth such that the floss experiences increased contact with the inter-proximal surfaces of the teeth being cleaned.
Accordingly, there is a need for a customized multi tooth flosser, with an effective floss distribution system, and improved contact between the floss and the inter-proximal tooth surfaces.